Crime & Safety

Local Cops Compete in Police Olympics

Two officers from Watsonville and Santa Cruz police went 5-2 in the men's open beach volleyball division.

Beach volleyball has a California feel to it, a sport that evokes images of sun-kissed, bikini-clad women and tanned, muscled men digging balls under blue skies. 

Earlier this month, two local cops traded their blue uniforms for board shorts and tank tops at the World Police and Fire Games in New York City.

Watsonville Deputy Police Chief Rudy Escalante and Santa Cruz police officer Ian Burnham competed in the two-man open division at the games.

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The duo went 5-2 over a two-day period, not enough to medal but a strong showing for the pair. Escalante, who was competing in his third Police Olympics, said the skill level has risen over the years.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed the competition has gotten much, much stronger," said Escalante, a Santa Cruz native who plays in a handful of local beach volleyball tournaments each year and knows his way around the sand.

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Escalante said some of the men he and Burnham were up against were as good as the Association of Volleyball Professionals players he has seen at local beaches.

“There are some people who could compete at that level," Escalante said. "They’re really good. It’s fun to watch."

The World Police and Fire Games were Aug. 26-Sept. 5. The event is considered the world’s largest multi-sport, Olympic-style event. About 15,000 full-time firefighters and law enforcement personnel from 70 different countries competed in 69 sports, Escalante said.

There were 35 teams beach volleyball teams, he added.

Escalante, who was a Santa Cruz police officer for the first two decades of his career before taking the deputy chief job in Watsonville nearly two years ago, competed in past Police Olympics in Sweden, Barcelona and Quebec.

At those games, he played with his brother, Santa Cruz police Lt. Bernie Escalante. They were silver medalists in Sweden and brought home the bronze from Barcelona.

Escalante's brother was too busy to make the trip this year, so Burnham, a former probation officer who played volleyball on scholarship at UCLA, took his spot. Escalante gave all the credit to Burnham.

"He's a great player," Escalante said.

Local businesses gave the officers donations to cover the cost of the trip.

“Because of the anniversary of 9/11, this was one of the larger events of the World Police and Fire Games … it was important to represent not just the profession but our local community," Escalante said, adding it was also an opportunity to honor those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


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